Native American, Arizona, Hopi culture, Moenkopi, ca. late 20th century CE. A wonderful, signed wooden kachina doll by the talented Hopi carver and silversmith Aaron Honanie (1953 - 2009) depicting the deer or sowi-ing kachina shown dancing in elaborate detail. The intricate figure is traditionally dressed in a helmet mask featuring a protruding beak, a plumed collar, and blossom ears, all surmounted by a pair of deer antlers and long feathers. A blue sash diagonally crosses his chest, which is adorned with yellow and white body paint, as a knee-length kilt covers his legs with a fox skin tail hanging from his backside. Wearing red moccasins, the kachina leans on a pair of canes. Though he is not often impersonated, the deer kachina is believed to have power over rain and also spasms. Size: 5.2" W x 13.5" H (13.2 cm x 34.3 cm)

According to Gregory Schaaf in "Hopi Katsina: 1,600 Biographies" (Santa Fe: CIAC, 2008): "When Aaron Honanie was about five, he began herding sheep with his Grandfather George who taught him about Hopi history and culture. He learned to hunt deer and elk with a bow and arrow. 'I like to carve the animals most,' he commented. Aaron learned the importance of living in harmony with his environment. 'When I am planting corn, I sing to the corn and tell it to come up. Then I tell my kids about it so they will know what to expect when they grow up...My grandfather George taught me all of these things.' Aaron gets up early each morning to tend his horses and herd of cattle. He comes home in the late morning and carves for about six hours. Later in the evening, he often carves a few more hours. He explained, 'I'm slow in my carving, and it takes me about a month to finish a doll...When I am carving I pray to the doll and sing the song that goes with that Kachina...I put a pencil mark where the eyes are going to be so that the doll can see what I'm doing. It makes the doll alive.' In 2004, when Aaron won the prestigious Award of Excellence at the Southwest Indian Fair, the judges commended him. Aaron lives in Moenkopi, on the Hopi Reservation, where the carvers of the village half-jokingly call themselves the Moencopi Boys. Active in his kiva, he was initiated into a Hopi men's society at the age of twelve. In addition to carving, Aaron enjoys spending time at the rodeo where he is a skilled team roper. Aaron first began carving kachina dolls from several pieces of cottonwood root, with parts glued to the body and painted with acrylics. In 1984 his technique changed when he and his brother, Jimmie Gail, visited Loren Phillips and watched him carve dolls. Since that year, Aaron has supported himself and his family with his art. And he always gives Loren ready praise for being a good teacher. Aaron Honanie is one of today's foremost carvers and has many prizes to show for it."

Provenance: private Vero Beach, Florida, USA collection, acquired from Southwest Trading Co., St. Charles, Illinois, USA on November 4, 1990

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#178279

Signature on verso of base. Missing frontal tine of proper right antler and second feather from the proper right on brim of hat. Otherwise, excellent with exceptional detail and great pigments.